Chalk one up for Ashley

Now that Matt's graduated, we're both officially alumni of our respective schools--which means our little rivalry can really begin. (It's always hard to cheer against the Falcons, but especially so when your fiance is actually on the team.) We planned our return trip from Ohio to conveniently stop in Utah so we could watch Air Force take on BYU. As we all know, the Falcons struggled with turnovers and the Cougs won 38-21. For those of you keeping score at home, though, it looks something like this:

Matt: 0. Ashley: 1.

(Please note that this picture was taken early in the 1st quarter, hence my husband's smile.)

Go Cougs!

Saturday at the Rose Bowl

Matt's brother Spencer came to town on business just as we flew back into California (talk about good timing!). So, we met up in LA for a Saturday centered around football.

Because, well, we love football.

Our first stop was the Rose Bowl, where Oregon was taking on UCLA at noon.
We cheered for the Ducks and saw a few top-10 worthy plays, including the #2 play of the day right in our end zone. However, I must admit that after our awesome SEC experience, the Pac-10 was a little lacking! (Who knew?)
After the game, we fought traffic for a couple hours before finally making it from Pasadena to the ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney...
...where we got to watch BYU and Air Force play simultaneously, all while eating delicious burgers and an incredible dessert.
Ah, we love this place. And I think we made Spencer a believer, too.

War Eagle. I mean, welcome to the S.E.C.

Well, ya'll, I guess we won't be cheering for the Crimson Tide anytime soon.

Matt and I officially declared our loyalties in the infamous Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry by masquerading as hard-core Auburn fans when the Tigers took on Mississippi State last weekend. It was our first live S.E.C experience, and we were not disappointed!

In true football fan fashion, we (Matt, me, Shaun & Amber) arrived on campus 4.5 hours prior to kickoff. Literally every open space within a 3-mile radius of Jordan Hare Stadium had been taken over by tailgaters! This sign seemed to communicate the feelings shared by every Auburn fan:

"Priorities: God, Family, USA, Auburn Football."

Two hours before kickoff, everyone gathered on the streets for the Tiger Walk -- an awesome tradition where about 20,000(!) fans welcome the team to the stadium.

Come game time, Jordan Hare was rocking with 87,000 fans decked out in orange & blue. (Even the girly girls were wearing blue & orange sundresses.) Check out the full stands and everyone cheering--and this is during the PREgame!
Needless to say, it was an AWESOME game atmosphere full of great football teams, fans and traditions. Of course, the biggest tradition at Auburn is the battle cry "War Eagle." Not only is it the unofficial motto found in the fight song and on orange t-shirts everywhere, but War Eagle is their end-all, be-all substitute for everyday phrases such as "Go Auburn," "Yeah Tigers," "Hello, how are you?," and "Hope you have a lovely evening." Seriously.

It's also used as their kickoff cheer (best I've ever heard):

As for the game itself, Auburn gave quite the performance with a rather convincing win (49-24. War Eagle). Not surprising considering that their new offensive coordinator is the same mastermind who shocked my own Cougars at Tulsa 2 years ago. And they have former BYU assistant coach Jeff Grimes coaching the O-line. Go figure.After the game, traffic was full of frat boys, soccer moms, and old men alike declaring War Eagle again and again in honor of the victory. We decided to get in on the action, of course, and didn't let a single person or open car window go by without bonding through the battle cry. This continued all the way to the Wendy's by the freeway. We ordered 4 Frosty's, she gave us the total, and Shaun replied, "Alright. War Eagle." Then we pulled up to the window, paid our money, and took our Frosty's... which were only half full!?

"Roll Tide," the Wendy's worker explained.

And THAT, my friends, is S.E.C. football.